The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-09
A GLIMPSE OF JAMES w. RILEY.
The Indiana Poet Talks About His Art and
His Method OF Work

New York Mail and Express.
James Whitcomb Riley, the Western poet and
humorst took the Intellectual audience by
storm the other afternoon at Chickerine Hail
when he recIted his quaint lines entitled, when
the Frost is on the Punkin." Even James Rus
sell Lowell could not repress a sue and Bun
ner. Eggleston, Gable and Richard Henry Stod-
dard laughed aloud. Those who have read MIR.
Rlieys poetry would almost instantly recognize
the poet if il possible for ideas to picture in
the minds eye their creator. Riley is quaint and
almost homely. until he speaks Then the veil
is lifted and mirth and humor illumine his feat
ures. He has large, strong, smooth shaven
mobile face 1t is a humorous face that re-
treats fore and aft in other words il curves from
forehead To chin. His large Roman nose plays
a strong part in the ensemble of features. Large
blue eyes, rather sunken. give a beamine ex-
preston to thin, radiatine wrinkles When he
smiles these lines fairly glow. His hair is SO
thin and close cropped that it is not easy TO dis
tineuish its color. 1t looks pale sandy. He
is snucly built of medium height, and has great
.suppleness in the shoulders.
Mr. Riley Is a ready composer. Major Pond
asked him for an autograph, when he sat down
aud wrote these lines:
II hahn t no use to grumble and complain,
Its jes as cheap and easy to rejoice;
When God sorts out the weather and sends rain
Wy rain my choice.
After he signed his name. a large, bold hand
writing, other person desired his auto
graph, and this i the verse he Immediately
wrote:
We saw and we say and we say,
We promise, engage and declare,
Till year from tomorrow is yesterday,
And yesterday is - whereof
A reporter asked him how he worked and how
ne went about selecting something suitable for
his particular style. He replied; Il have
trouble whatever to find something to write
about I cannot throw a stone but that hit
subject. They every where about wherever
/ go, and take them as find them. have no
special system to work by. i always write as
feel aud that perhaps is the only system have.
Ii is useless TO force anything; it must come forth
with natural feeling and then it will strike the
right chord. A writer cannot tell every Time
how he selects q theme to write about, at least
cannot. Nature Is spread out before us, and
somehow l stumble things that awaken
within me the instinct and feeling to write.
That is finding a subject"
..In writing your dialectic poetry. do you put
it IN good English and then translate it, so to
speak,
mo do not. Imagine that the old farmer
is talking. and for the time am the old farmer
writing down the thoughts that come To me in
q homely easy way. The spelling and all,
the old farmer would do it, SO do /, and find it
satisfactory as to results"
do you enjoy lecturingP
Yes but / have TO be careful in giving
humorous sketches, not to too far 1t
eau so easily be carried from the bounds OF true
humor to the ridiculous. Now. In my lecture
or sketch, entitled The Educator delivered at
-Chickering Hall, i, of course. had to be verv
careful not to overdo it. The audience was one
of high cultivation and the humor had to be es-
liver some lectures conjunction with Dir.
William Nye, a gentleman of imperturbable
sangfroid and a picturesque ensemble.